Ithaca College

I am bothered by this... I think when Rape Aggression Defense courses are
offered and are targeted specifically at women, it makes it seem as though it is
a person's responsibility to not get raped. I think it would be much more
beneficial for everyone if the funds for this course were put towards a
mandatory course that all incoming Freshman and transfer students must take
on what consensual sex is.

"Every year in the United States, 1,270,000 women experience rape
(Black, Basile, Breiding, Smith, Walters, & Merrick, 2011)" Therefore,
rape is not a very seldom crime, but rather rapists are not convicted of
crimes as often. Rape does not require sex from a heteronormative
perspective of what defines sex; it can be any forcible touching that is
uncomfortable for a person. I think one of the biggest issues with rape
and sexual assault on college campuses and in general, is people and
students being misinformed about what an assault actually is defined
as. I think if we continue to paint an idea of rape as being rare, isolated
and extremely violent, bystanders and perpetrators alike will have a
very narrow view of what actions are actually unacceptable. I think
having a program directed towards informing ALL students about
these issues would be most effective.

I'm somewhat troubled by this announcement.

Let me start of by acknowledging that:
- I have never attended these or similar courses.
- I come from a place of privilege as a white cisgender male writing about
this.

But I have a few issues:
- While I believe this program can be a positive thing, I believe that rolling it
out on its own is troubling as it promotes a reactive culture treating the
consequences of an issue instead of promoting a preemptive culture
getting to the root of actual problem. It also misses a vital education
component needed for these types of campaigns to be truly successful.

- Although I realize women experience rape and sexual assault at the
highest frequency, I also acknowledge that other communities experience
rape and sexual assault and troublingly high rates as well. While I believe
there is value in keeping the training women-specific and keeping that
space safe, where, for example, is the LGBTQ specific training that deals
with the high occurrence of rape and sexual assault in that community?
Statistics show Trans* people have dealt with a scary amount of these
attacks. Not to mention we had an alleged rape between two males on
campus just this last year...

- Ithaca requires all Freshman take an alcohol & drug course before coming
to college. Where is the course on consent and safe sex? Personally I think
keeping our students knowledgeable about sexual assault & rape is just as
beneficial for new students, if not even more so than one on alcohol.

- In my experience at Ithaca College, I don't recall of any required
educational material that was put out in front of me about these issues. If I
did, it was presented in such a nonchalant way that I don't remember it,
despite me being passionate about these issues. Why are there no
educational workshops (on consent for example) in the "4th Hour" of the
first year seminars? Why not make this education part of the ICC that
allows students get this kind of information that will benefit them throughout
their life?

All in all, I'm not suggesting that this course be removed nor am I bashing
the content and sentiment of the course. However I believe that this should
be viewed as a small first step in the right direction as opposed to a
solution to the issue of rape & sexual assault on college campuses,
specifically IC.

I have a lot of conflicted feelings about this. As a victim of sexual assault, I
see the main issue with this course is that, much like what everyone else is
saying, it advertises for the prevention of rape via the assaultee as
opposed to the assaulter.

On top of this, it caters as a women's only course when reality cis and trans
gender females and males can all be assaulted. There isn't a distinction.
Yes, women are "statistically" more likely to be raped, but it is also
statistically shown that men are less likely to say they've been assaulted,
so we don't really know actual numbers. Even more so, people of the trans*
community are at an even higher risk to be assaulted physically,
emotionally, and sexually.

While I believe there should definitely be a required sexual health and
consent course provided by Ithaca College, I don't see an issue with having
a self defense class, as long as it caters to all genders. As much as we
would love for all the roots of sexual assault and deviance to be resolved,
we still have to take action in knowing that this is an imperfect world and
everyone is equally still at risk of being assaulted on and off campus.

I absolutely agree with all of the comments posted before mine- there are a variety of faults that we have found with this program, and I hope that they will be addressed effectively by the administration.
While self-defense is a fantastic tool for any student, this course emphasizes the idea that sexual assault on college campuses is inevitable and that young women bare the responsibility of preventing it.
Ithaca College should prioritize preventing assault from day one, in the mind of every student. IC should remember that our campus includes not only potential victims, but potential aggressors as well.

I also agree that rape prevention should not solely be on the shoulders of women, so I believe whatever techniques are discussed can be adapted for people of all sexualities.
We as a college community should follow up this program with a plan of action for addressing hypermasculinity among men by men, straight and LGBT.
The importance of discussing hypermasculinity among and by men (straight and LGBT) specifically, however, is that you can involve people who might otherwise feel like rape is not a man's issue. Get men of all races, sexualities, and backgrounds talking about what it means to be a man; about the importance of standing up for your beliefs in the face of other men who might trivialize rape or glorify sexual conquest; have a place where men can discuss healthy ways to pursue intimate relationships; and learn ways to cut past the BS that often obfuscates such discussions about sex, intimacy, gender dynamics, rape, and rape prevention.

Terri Ae. Stewart, Director and Chief, Office of Public Safety and Emergency Management, recently posted additional information about the R.A.D. program and other sexual assault awareness, education, and prevention programming at the college. Read the new Intercom message here.

Ithaca College launched a comprehensive Sexual Harassment and Assault Response & Education (SHARE) program in the fall of 2014. Through SHARE, the college offers diverse and widely recognized training, education, programming, and other resources on this topic; R.A.D. is only one of a number of programs offered in a multilayered approach toward combatting sexual assault.